Billy Bragg hands Chevron guitars over at Mountjoy

"A good news story for everyone concerned," was how eminent Irish music figure Paddy McPoland put it, as friends and family of Philip Chevron gathered at a presentation in Dublin's Mountjoy Prison today.
They were there to witness Billy Bragg hand over the "three favourite guitars" of the late Radiator and Pogue, so that they can be used by prisoners as part of their rehabilitation process, as per Chevron's wishes.
Having played 'Redemption Song' on one acoustic, Bragg addressed "the lads in the back" who are going to be using the guitars.
"This instrument is a key that can help you change your life," the Bard Of Barking noted. "I've been around the world – [as was] Philip Chevron – because of the doors that this instrument opens. When we give these guitars here today, they are not here as a gift. They really are a challenge.
"A challenge to you to take this opportunity; to use this instrument to help you to turn your lives around. When I spoke to Philip, he wanted to donate these guitars because he wanted you to get out of this place and never come back. So be sure that there are people outside that care what happen to you when you come out. They're assembled here, and Philip Chevron was one of them."
Bragg established Jail Guitar Doors to provide British inmates with a creative outlet in 2007.
"It takes someone on the ground here," he said of spreading the initiative to Ireland, "To make that connection."
Philip Chevron, who passed away in 2013, was the man to make that connection.
In attendance were many of Chevron's bandmates, including Steve Averill and Pete Holidai (who announced at the end of the ceremony that he would donate one of his own guitars, for left-handed players), Director General of the Irish Prison Service Michael Donnellan and the Governor of Mountjoy, Brian Murphy (pictured right, beside Bragg).
McPoland was the master of ceremonies, presenting Philip's sister Deborah Blacoe with a framed endorsement of the donation from President Michael D. Higgins.
Blacoe read it aloud, with Higgins writing that he was "delighted to express my support and appreciation" for Chevron's gesture, calling him a "close friend" with a "commitment to human rights."
Blacoe spoke movingly about her brother, closing by summing him up as "truly, a gentleman and a scholar".
What followed was a short performance from prisoners who have formed the band The Offenders whilst serving time.
Former Engine Alley guitarist Brian Kenealy has been teaching prisoners at Mountjoy since 1999. Speaking to Hot Press, he saw the day's events as a vindication of their work.
"It's great encouragement," Kenealy said. "I'm a big believer in the benefits of playing music. It's good for the soul... It's an outlet.
"The prison themselves have been very facilitating," he continued. "They're supporting it. This highlights the fact that music is good for everybody, and especially people who are locked up for 18 hours a day. One guy who used to get in a lot of trouble told me recently that he's calmed down a lot in the last two years he's spent coming to the music. That impact is important."
For more on Jail Guitar Doors, go to [link]www.jailguitardoors.org.uk [/link]
CHEVRON LIVES, an evening to celebrate the life and work of Philip Chevron, will be held on Sunday November 23 in The Sugar Club, Dublin. Tickets are available from [link]www.thesugarclub.com[/link]